Chapter 170 - 163: I’m Doomed, I’ve Become a "Cultivation Failure

Chapter 170: Chapter 163: I’m Doomed, I’ve Become a "Cultivation Failure

The Spirit Root testing Array had five hubs, each containing a different elemental Spirit Crystal refined by an Array Master.

The ground around each Spirit Crystal was marked with concentric circles of gradations.

When a corresponding Spirit Root was detected, the Spirit Crystal would emit a light—strong or weak—depending on the quality of the detected Spirit Root.

The position where the innermost, most intense ring of light fell upon the gradations indicated the Spirit Root Talent.

After Jiang Zuo stepped into the Array, all five elemental Spirit Crystals lit up at once.

Not only that, but the positions where the light fell on the gradations were perfectly identical, without the slightest deviation.

The Array Master presiding over the Array was an old man who had tested the talent of countless Cultivators.

Forget the surrounding Cultivators; even he was seeing such a scene for the first time.

He stared blankly for a moment before announcing, "Five Spirit Roots... hmm, all of them low-grade, mid-tier Five Spirit Roots."

"Five Spirit Roots, and for the talent to be so perfectly uniform... that’s quite rare."

"More than rare, it’s completely unheard of!"

The surrounding Cultivators all clicked their tongues in amazement.

In a way, a disciple with this kind of Spirit Root Talent was rarer than one with a top-grade Spirit Root.

Top-grade Spirit Roots were rare, but you might still see one every two or three hundred years.

But one with All Five Elements Present, where the Spirit Root Talent tested as perfectly identical for each, was something no one had ever heard of.

Jiang Zuo looked at his test results and was speechless.

’Damn it,’ he thought. ’That gray light from the Mysterious Stele concealed my Spirit Root Talent to this extent.’

Jiang Zuo had long suspected that his Spirit Root Talent would be concealed.

If that weren’t the case, he wouldn’t have dared to have his Spirit Root tested so openly.

If he had tested for a top-grade Spirit Root with Five Attributes, the entire world would have known in an instant.

Who knew how many people, unable to possess him, would have wanted to destroy him instead.

But Jiang Zuo never expected the concealment from the Mysterious Stele’s hazy gray light to be so severe. It almost pushed his Spirit Root down to the lowest possible tier: low-grade, bottom-tier.

’Still, there isn’t much difference between low-grade mid-tier and low-grade bottom-tier,’ he thought.

With this kind of talent, it was normally impossible to join the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect.

Unwilling to give up just yet, Jiang Zuo thought for a moment, then cupped his hands and spoke to one of the Cultivators from the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect.

"Immortal Master, I have a bit of a talent for Beast Taming. Animals seem to take a liking to me, and I can understand some of what they’re trying to express. I was wondering if I might still be able to join the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect?"

Most people wouldn’t have the guts to speak up at a time like this. The Cultivator gave Jiang Zuo a surprised glance, then looked toward Liao Shitong.

Seeing that Liao Shitong made no gesture, he smiled and said, "I’m afraid not, young man. Your talent is a bit too lacking. You might indeed have some aptitude for Beast Taming, but here at the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect, disciples with Beast Taming Talent are the one thing we don’t lack."

Hearing this, Jiang Zuo said no more.

Even if he were to insist on how skilled he was at Beast Taming, no one present would believe him. They would only think he was spouting nonsense and boasting just to join a sect.

The Ten Thousand Beasts Sect didn’t want him, and the elders from the dozen or so other sects present also looked at Jiang Zuo with some hesitation.

They would normally recruit someone with a low-grade, mid-tier Spirit Root, but one with All Five Elements Present seemed useless, even if they were all of the same low-grade, mid-tier quality.

Possessing so many Spirit Roots of identical quality might even cause the person to become indecisive, hindering their Cultivation. In the end, they might be even worse off than a disciple with an ordinary low-grade, mid-tier Spirit Root.

Luo Taidong sized up Jiang Zuo for a few more moments before suddenly speaking up.

"Young man, I have a little puppy here. Come over and pet it. If it doesn’t bite you, our Black Tortoise Dao Sect will take you."

With a flick of his hand, he summoned a small, fiery-red-furred puppy at his feet.

The puppy was about the size of a normal newborn pup. After appearing, it flopped onto the ground, looking sickly.

"A Red Blood Dog!"

There weren’t many famous canine Spirit Beasts in the Cultivation Realm, but the Red Blood Dog was one of them.

A Red Blood Dog is a first-rank Spirit Beast from birth. When raised to adulthood, it can reach the strength of a third-rank beast, and with the right opportunities, it could even advance to the fourth rank.

Moreover, Red Blood Dogs had violent tempers. Even a newborn pup like this one, not long out of the womb, couldn’t be approached lightly.

This particular Red Blood Dog looked to be in poor condition, and approaching it rashly would likely earn one a nasty bite.

But if anyone was going to get bitten, it would be Jiang Zuo, so naturally, no one spoke up to warn him.

Jiang Zuo said nothing and walked straight over.

’Since the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect won’t take me, joining the Black Tortoise Dao Sect is fine too.

’The Black Tortoise Dao Sect only has a mid-grade Spirit Vein, but even if the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect had a top-grade one, it wouldn’t be my turn to enjoy it.

’In terms of the Cultivation environment I could access, the two sects are more or less the same for me.

’The difference in their Cultivation environments would probably only become apparent once I reach the Dao Fruit Realm.

’But that’s a matter for the distant future. It won’t be too late for me to figure something out when the time comes.

’Besides, I’m in no position to be picky right now. Who asked me to be a "Cultivation Failure" with a Five Attribute Mixed Spirit Root?’

Jiang Zuo walked up to the Red Blood Dog and, without any hesitation, reached out and stroked its head.

’First time petting a Red Blood Dog,’ Jiang Zuo mused. ’Have to say, its fiery-red fur is quite smooth.’

The little Red Blood Dog glanced up at Jiang Zuo, then closed its eyes again, ignoring him.

But on closer inspection, it actually seemed to be enjoying it a little.

The surrounding Cultivators were all stunned by this scene.

They hadn’t expected Jiang Zuo to be telling the truth. It seemed he really did have some Beast Taming Talent.

"Haha, not bad! From this day forward, you are a disciple of our Black Tortoise Dao Sect!" Luo Taidong laughed instantly.

"Elder Luo, isn’t this against the rules? Counting the disciple next to him, your Black Tortoise Dao Sect has taken two people in a row."

Seeing that Jiang Zuo truly had some Beast Taming Talent, someone who now regretted passing him up spoke out.

Luo Taidong glared at the man and retorted, "What are you talking about? I only spoke up because none of you wanted him!"

"But I, Old Luo, am a reasonable man," he continued. "For the next two rounds, the Black Tortoise Dao Sect won’t proactively claim anyone. I’ll only consider them after you’ve all passed."

After hearing Luo Taidong’s words, the man said no more.

Although Luo Taidong had managed to snag a minor find, he was, in the end, just a disciple with a slight talent for Beast Taming.

Which of the sects present didn’t have at least a few disciples who could handle beasts?

The crucial factor was still Spirit Root Talent. With a Five Attribute Mixed Spirit Root, the absolute best he could hope for was reaching the late stage of Qi Cultivation.

At this thought, the man’s feelings of regret subsided.

If this man thought so, it went without saying for the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect.

Jiang Zuo’s actions had only earned him a brief second glance from them; it was far from enough to make them feel any regret.

"Sorry, Brother Zhou. It seems my grandfather’s skills really aren’t that great after all," Cao Guangshan said to Jiang Zuo, looking embarrassed.

"It’s fine."

Jiang Zuo knew where the problem lay, so he naturally wouldn’t hold it against Old Man Cao.

Between the appearance of a genius like Cao Xuezhu with her Dual Top-grade Spirit Roots and an oddity like Jiang Zuo with All Five Elements Present, the rest of the Spirit Root tests seemed rather dull.

Many people were just going through the motions, and the testing proceeded very quickly. Before evening, every person of the right age had been tested.

In the end, the Black Tortoise Dao Sect only recruited nine disciples from Zhenhe Pass.

The other sects recruited a similar number.

Among the disciples recruited by the Black Tortoise Dao Sect, the one with the best talent was a young woman with a mid-grade, bottom-tier Earth Spirit Root.

Even then, she only fell into the hands of the Black Tortoise Dao Sect because the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect had stopped recruiting after taking Cao Xuezhu.

"Alright, everyone follow me back to the inn. If you have anything to say to your families, have them come find you at the inn tonight. We’ll be returning to the sect first thing tomorrow morning."

After gathering the recruits, Luo Taidong dusted off his pants and left, leaving the sect’s Elder Zhao to handle the new disciples.

"Yes, Elder Zhao!"

The group of young men and women answered in unison.

The nine of them then followed behind Elder Zhao, heading toward the inn.

Although there were only nine of them, everyone was well aware of each other’s Spirit Root Talent.

Among the nine, the most popular was the young woman with the mid-grade Earth Spirit Root, Nie Qiuling.

Nie Qiuling not only had good talent, but she was also very beautiful. Several of the young men were smitten after just a couple of glances.

Despite being complimented by several people, Nie Qiuling felt no happiness at all. Instead, her heart was filled with frustration.

’Based on my talent, I should have been able to enter the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect,’ she fumed internally. ’But because of *that woman*, the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect stopped recruiting to appear fair.

’I have all this talent, yet I was forced to settle for a sect other than the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect.

’Left with no choice, I had to pick the Black Tortoise Dao Sect, which is compatible with my Earth Spirit Root.’

’Wait... that oafish-looking guy is that woman’s older brother?’

As Nie Qiuling was stewing in her frustration, she suddenly overheard something that caught her attention.

She immediately looked toward Cao Guangshan, whose face was beaming with joy.

’Excellent!

’It seems fate really does work in mysterious ways. I actually ended up in the same sect as that woman’s brother!’

...

Upon learning that Cao Xuezhu, with her Dual Top-grade Spirit Roots, had been accepted by the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect as an Elder’s Direct Disciple, and that Cao Guangshan had unexpectedly been found to have a Spirit Root and taken in by the Black Tortoise Dao Sect, Old Man Cao was grinning from ear to ear. He ran back and forth between the inns of the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect and the Black Tortoise Dao Sect to bid farewell to the two siblings.

Furthermore, the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect had already informed him that his entire family could relocate to a town under the sect’s jurisdiction. This would be much safer and would also make it easier for Cao Xuezhu to visit home in the future.

Some of the mortal officials in Zhenhe Pass who received the news had already come to curry favor with Old Man Cao.

Old Man Cao was exhausted from dealing with them all. When he finally had a moment to himself, he couldn’t help but think, ’This is impossible. I admit I misjudge people sometimes, but there’s no way I was wrong about Zhou the kid. I clearly sensed that his talent was even stronger than Xuezhu’s.’

Old Man Cao had long known that Cao Xuezhu’s Spirit Root Talent was not low, but the feeling he got from Jiang Zuo suggested he was even above Cao Xuezhu.

Moreover, Jiang Zuo’s conduct and how he treated people gave him a subtle feeling that he was extraordinary, which was why he had shamelessly tried to get on good terms with him.

He never imagined that Jiang Zuo would only test as having a Mixed Spirit Root with All Five Elements Present.

Old Man Cao couldn’t quite figure it out, but the test results couldn’t be wrong.

’That was a Spirit Root testing Array, with numerous Immortal Masters watching. There’s no way it could be fake.

’It seems I was wrong after all.

’Looks like I was right not to make a living off this feeling for Spirit Roots. Otherwise, I’d have gotten myself hacked to death sooner or later.’

Early the next morning, after breakfast, Elder Zhao summoned a sizable Flying Ship and called to the disciples they had recruited along the way.

"Everyone, get on board!"